Insurance Claim Advice, Buntingford Hertfordshire

Insurance Claim Advice

“Your car, your choice”

Being involved in an accident is a scary and disconcerting event for anyone so it’s easy to just follow standard processes in order to get your vehicle repaired and back on the road as soon as possible with the minimum amount of hassle.

However, ­most people assume that your only option is to take your vehicle to the accident repair centre recommended by your insurance company. This is where you need to remember, it’s 'your car, your choice'.

Know your rights

Insurance companies tend to direct policy holders to their own 'approved' repairers. These repairers are from a network of companies chosen by the insurance company. It is highly likely that the reason these repairers have been chosen is because they offer the most cost effective solution for the insurance company, as understandably, most insurers only want to pay the minimum amount possible for each claim. The quality of repair or level of service that you personally receive may not be as important to them as it is to us. Some of these repairers may have to use non-genuine parts as part of their agreement with the insurance company and this can invalidate your manufacturer warranty.

So why compromise on the quality of your car repairs?

The Office of Fair Trading and The British Board of Motor Insurers have agreed that Motor Vehicle insurance policy holders have the right to choose where their vehicle is repaired, regardless of the insurance company’s advice. Therefore you, as a policy holder are not obliged to use your insurer’s approved repairer and you can insist on having your vehicle repaired by the accident repair centre that YOU choose.